Pasta e piselli

Pasta e piselli

Cheap, easy and quick to make. Italians are very fond of fast food that will both comfort and fill you up. 

You will need:

Spaghetti (broken up in the dish later)

250gm frozen Peas 

About 100gm of Panchetta 

One white onion. 

Olive Oil

Parmasan 

Prepare:

Dice onion and panchetta to roughly the same size. 

Fry off onion and panchetta in pan. 

Add peas and lightly fry. 

Add enough water to cover the peas. Some people use stock in their water - I would suggest doing this. 

Smash some of the peas on the side until you have an even(ish) mixture of crushed and whole peas. 

Cook for about 15-20 mins. 

Break up spaghetti into 2 inch (roughly) pieces and add to peas and water. 

Cook spaghetti.

Season with Salt and Pepper.  

Add a good fist full of grated parmasen to the pot or add to individual dish when served. 

Serve with a gluglle of olive oil and lots of cracked black pepper. 

Apologies for the lack of photo. My camera needs attending to…….

Tomorrow: baccalà Napoli style (if you live in South London Salt Cod is SUPER CHEAP! ). 

Australia meets Italy

This christmas i went home to Australia….During this time my family made it their mission to supersize-me Italia styles. During my stay I ate my body weight in Napolitana fried pizzas (calzone), Wood oven pizzas cooked in the backyard pizza oven, Pasta e fagioli,  baccalà Napoli style (legend has it that there are 365 different ways to eat baccalà in Naples),

…… now back in London I am determined to update this blog daily with pictures and recipes. 

Pizza Pictures are a bit funny in colour because they hail from Lou Giuliani’s phone…but you get the gist. The cement oven is on a trailer in my cousin Mark’s backyard. 

My Nana didn’t ‘feel to go’ or ‘feel to do’ claiming she was sick, but not sick enough to demand pizza at the end of the day. I think she just thought a day with us would be ‘invading her existence’ and right to watch terrible day time TV. Nana cares not for the pizza making but only for the pizza eating. 

The cousins hijack ‘The Godfather’s’ boat to get away from ‘it all’ etc…………..Golden Boy drives us to the island. “Is that a rug floating in the water?’

Winter is here…

My amazing boyfriend is cooking Jamaican Mutton and (Hard Food) Soup, I will update with this recipe later….

I want to talk about Pickling for the Winter. Sure, we no longer need to store all seasonal goods come the winter as globalisation and the refridgerator have changed the way we store food. Pickling is great, but often only thought of as a sandwich spread. However, I think we should be inspired by the past and start storing delicious foods (rather than just making pickles, or not at all) for the winter.

Joe has been busily been making amazing Oven Roasted Plum and Roma Tomatoes, covering them in oil. However, as we are greedy they have not been lasting long on the shelf.

These are amazing in Melanzane parmigiana (follow the recipe below - I will edit it and repost).

One of the greatest food moments of my life was (aged 6) when I ate my body weight in green tomatoes and melanzane that had been kept under oil for a year. We ate it with fresh bread and lots of salami/prosciutto.

 Green tomatoes that have (been especially prepared) and sat under oil for over six months to a year is one of the greatest things available to humanity…

If you make one thing and store it for the winter make it Oven Roasted Plum and Roma Tomatoes - it is quick, easy and will transform Napoli sauces, Lasagnes, Melanzane parmigiana or amazing on fresh bread. Here is the recipe:

Prepare:

Go to the market and get over-ripe Roma or Plum tomatoes.

Cut length ways and lay on a baking tray.

Sprinkle a generous amount of crushed rock salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Drizzle generously with olive oil

Cook:

For two-three hours on gas mark 2.

You will see them drying up, it is up to you if you prefer semi-sundried or sundried effect. Remove when they are to your liking.

Let cool. Put in jar and cover with oil.

This looks amazing. I often make butter bean hummus but this looks great!

I am Eddie….

My Dad always made us take photos of the food we made or the apparatus to cook/make food that we had also constructed (badly). As kids we hated making fresh spaghetti, hanging it over chairs and anything with a curved edge. We made shitty cages that were constructed of gaffa tape, fly screen and wire…. later we made a wooden cage that at least stood upright. All in the name of Jerky and Salami. Dad made us photograph it all. Now, I do the same. It is awful.

Joe and I are spoiled rotten. When we arrive tired, grumpy and mostly hung-over at

his parents house in Galicia, Spain we are greeted with traditional favourites.

From right to left:

In one bowl is Callos, our favourite, a Chickpea, Paprika, Chorizo, Ham, Tripe soup. I prefer mine without Tripe, so Joe always gets extra. Chorizo, Corn Bread (Broa) that is delivered to the door each day, Salad from the garden, Pulpo Galicia (Octopus that has been boiled and then served with olive oil and paprika). A refritta of pork belly. Potatoes with olive oil and paprika.

After this we sleep.

On offer at a Galician bar, We had a smaller version.

A side dish of fresh fish. I kid you not. A side dish. There were a few of us, but not enough to warrant this many fish. I didn’t complain. Jose (Joe’s Dad) cooked them on the barbeque and served them with salt, pepper, lemon and olive oil. Delicious!

Below is a picture of both of our Mumma’s doing the dirty work. Poor Mum she has always been the one gutting the fish. I have a distinct memory of her bent for hours beside our boat (Dad made us live on a Power boat - we hated it)…cleaning razor fish. Poor Mum.

Spicy Courgette and Tomato Soup (Vegetarian/Vegan)

Spicy Courgette and Tomato Soup (Vegetarian/Vegan)

If it sounds boring, you would are wrong; it is warming, delicious and super quick to make.

You will need:

4 large Courgettes/Zucchini (chopped into half centimetre rings)

2 cans of tomatoes

1 large clove of garlic

1 large white onion (roughly chopped)

Salt and Pepper

1 mild chilli (seeds removed)

A tablespoon of olive oil

A tablespoon of butter (exclude butter and yoghurt if you are vegan)

Greek Yoghurt to serve 

A pinch of freshly chopped parsley

Cook:

In a large saucepan heat the butter (exclude if vegan) and the oil and fry off your onions until clear.

Add the garlic and chilli and lightly fry, do not colour the garlic.  When the garlic and chilli have softened add the courgettes and fry off.

When the courgettes are soft and have turned a lovely colour from the butter – Add the tomatoes.

WHIZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ all of the ingredients in the pot with a hand blender.

Let the soup cook for half an hour on a low simmer.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve:

Serve with extra cracked pepper, a dollop of Greek yoghurt (exclude if vegan) and some freshly chopped parsley.

 

Parmesan Peas.

Parmesan Peas. 

Fresh, lovely, fast, easy, completely loveable. A perfect side dish.

You will need:

As many peas as you fancy eating

Good Olive Oil

Half a clove of garlic (fresh, but crushed in a garlic press, don’t use garlic paste as it is too strong and quite disgusting!).

A pinch of rock salt

Cracked black Pepper

A handful and a bit of grated Parmesan

Cook:

Bring your peas to the boil and cook for a minute or two. Do not over-cook

Drain

Add Garlic

Add Olive Oil

Add Salt

Add Parmesan

Stir until Parmesan is melted

Serve!

 

Meat ragu

Meat ragu

Meat, meat, meat. Joe loves to cook this dish. It is ingredient rich but simple to execute. All you need is a lot of meat and quite a bit of time. It’s worth it. Cook it up and freeze the left over portions.

You will need:

250g lean beef mince

250g lean pork mince

250g veal mince

4 slices of pancetta (finely chopped)

100g chicken livers (blended into a paste)

1 tin of anchovies

4 cans of chopped tomatoes (blended ‘til liquid)

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)

1 pint of chicken stock

Cook:

Heat a large saucepan and add the oil from the anchovies. When hot, add the anchovies and pancetta and fry until the pancetta is almost (but not yet) crispy and the anchovies have melted. You may have to add a little olive oil.

Add all the meat (except the chicken livers) and fry hard until most of the liquid that comes out of the meat has evaporated.

Add the garlic, chicken livers, chicken stock and tomatoes and bring to the boil. Season with plenty of pepper.

Leave to simmer gently without a lid for about 4 hours, stir every 10 minutes or so. The ragu will cook down to a delicious thick meaty sauce.

Season with salt and pepper and add more oil to make it delicious and shiny.

Serve:

Serve with pasta or use in lasagne, cannelloni, mellanzana parmigana or whatever else you fancy.

Freeze the rest.

Babganoooooooooooooosh!

Babganoooooooooooooooosh!

As a child, I loved this. it was a special treat that came alongside falafels, and a visit from an eccentric vegetarian lay about called Mark CarBOOM!

You will need:

2 large Eggplant

3 large cloves of garlic

Olive Oil

Juice of half a lemon

fresh flat leaf parsley

1 tablespoon of tahini

½ deseeded chilli (optional).

Cook:

Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees.

Wrap your Eggplant in foil (remove the stalk at the end) and place in a baking tray.

After about 15 mins, add your garlic (do not peel, just chuck in the tray)

After about 30 mins your Eggplant should have begun to get a bit squishy.

 Once your eggplant is completely cooked through, remove them from the oven.

The eggplant should be over-cooked and not firm at all.

Allow your eggplant and garlic to cool.

Bringing it together:

Squeeze the insides of the Eggplant into a bowl. Ditch the skins.

Squeeze your garlic into the Eggplant mixture.

Add chilli, tahini, lemon juice and a good dash of olive oil.

WHIZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Drizzle with olive oil.

 

Serve with Turkish bread!

Pleased to Meat You: KOREAN Barbeque Seared Steak Salad

Pleased to Meat You: KOREAN Barbeque Seared Steak Salad

This dish is not for those who like steak well done.

Korean Barbeque is light in texture but heavy in flavour. You will have to track down a Korean supermarket but it is worth it. Please don’t use a thick Chinese sweet barbeque sauce as an alternative as it will be too sweet, not smoky and dark. You could make your own. I will upload my own recipe soon….. as well as a homemade Pad Thai recipe…

Buy the best piece of steak you can afford from your local butcher.  Buy quality over quantity, I would suggest one steak between two people.

You will need:

Steak:

Korean Barbeque Marinade

Sesame seeds.

1 Rib Eye Steak

1 chilli

Salad:

Edamame Beans

Cucumber

Spring Onions

Dressing:

One orange

Soy Sauce

Sesame Seeds

Fresh Chilli

A dash of lime

Prepare:

In a bowl cover your steak in Korean Barbeque marinade and a little fresh chilli and a pinch of sesame seeds.

Leave this for about 3 hours if possible.

Salad:

In a bowl mix watercress and handful of peeled edamame beans. Place to the side.

Peel a cucumber. Ditch the skins. Continue peeling until you have nothing more to peel or until you get to the seeds (which are impossible to peel).

Slice spring onions into lovely ribbons.

 Your dressing:

Mix in a small bowl:

The juice of an orange
A dash of soy.
A dash of sesame oil
Perhaps some sesame seeds

You can add some chilli flakes and a dash of lime too.

Cook:

Heat your pan with a dash of rapeseed oil.

When the pan is SUPERHOTT carefully put one side of your steak down…

Everything depends on how thick your steak is…you only want to sear your steak!

Watch your steak carefully, and as your steak begins to cook towards the middle – flip it. Do the same on the other side…..leave at least 1 cm of pink….not clear pink….but PINK….this should be a medium rare or rare steak…

Remove from pan and leave for 5 minutes…your meat needs a rest, it’s tired. 

Serve:

Pile your rocket Watercress high in a serving bowl/plate

Top with your ribbons of cucumber (but do not use all)..

Drizzle salad dressing over salad

Slice your steaks on the diagonal (about 3mm thick).

Pile your rocket Watercress high in a serving bowl…..

Top with your ribbons of cucumber (but do not use all)..

Drizzle salad dressing over salad

 

Slice your steaks across the steak about 3mm thick…

Top your salad with steak….

Add the remaining cucumber ribbons and spring onions…